Amusement device



Feb. 13,1923. Y 1,445,474.

` F. L. BRISSEY. v

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

FILED MAR. I, I92I. 2 SHEETSfSHEET l.

III

Feb. 13, 1923. 1,445,477.

- A F. L. BRISSEY. 4

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

mep MAR. i, 1921. 2 sHzEs-snsa 2.

rennes@ L. Burssnv, or

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

Application led March 1,

/o V@ZZ whom may Concern;

Be it; known that omms'rli. a. oi'izen off the United. Stai ir fluknd,in julie county o' eine e ltziteof California.;lieveinvented nur: sinduseiiiil lmprovemenls iu `Amuseifnenl; Devioes. olf which thefollowingis espeeilie' tion. l

invention, While relatingin general mnusemeut devices, `:has particular'reiereu-e to an improved puppe show` which in is preferred forniincludes in combination, a suitable rniniiture staf-je7 lWith @its usual`:ireouterments, qnd L plurality` of inerionettos, l5 each. of whichisveupalble'of,produeiug zum mated exhibitions Aupon `the stage, losimulate various performances. i i

l ain aware .ftheseveral attempts diere Lbeen .made toproduee' devies ofthis ohzu; :meter but the saine haveV fallen shortv of profvid realisticjexhibitiousl p iuieriljgvr to fthe unsatisfactory urrziiigemeiits for,am eommodating `the nisirioueljfces on fthe stage andthefinanipulzit-ion oli' righe sume by' lthe puppetninf v Havingf'gin tniind overeoming the defecs zexperienced with- ."hesef 'former devices, lpropose to provide a CoinpfirativehT simple 1andelieap devicelas Wellesone which Will operateur/ith Jthe gre:ii-est of ei'iieieuey, not onlyfrom@ realistic point of view but also so 'liu-r `isAeoneernsfsimplieity of menipula- .ig l

' Oneofthe importent featuresfoif my y iinproved Yaira-ngernent resideslin construc- L'i with lwhich [a variety of specie-cular' apimateplperforrnerslmey' be lexhibi*red `through fthe medium of tl'iemarionettes`capable Aof :beingi used eithei'seleetivelyl or collectively, 40:according tofthe najture o;l-',the"perfornianee. 'thisl end in view, lhave so yproduced kthe rdiffereru;,sets of'rnariouettes, 'ph-et each onein itself becon'ies a unit,` with the stage made to accommodate eitherusing'le unifi or u. group' of tfhen und with `the controls adaptedto beactuated let'ivill neem-ding to the eii'eets/to be realized.

In falle accompanying `drimfings iorininpv u pairt of phisspeeilicaionAand infvvhich like numerals are employed dto designate "likep'rtshpoughoutfthe seme, l have "selected ifor fthepurposeoffillustrationn preferred forni oi' stage'ai'id tvvo"differentumrionet'te oli e. theatre building'.

1921. Serial No. 448,780.

{tion showing the application oone'oii the nuirionette units, und,

Figure 5 is :1. detail View ol. one of the control cords for the units`T leierring now to the drawings in detail, .i preier to produce the stufrom a suitable framework including :it least iwo [front und tworeniuprights .llhelzieli two being spaced zipzirthy the uplieif1horizontal bridge pieces extending: from 'ront tolhe rear oi thelistage, Awith :iu upper longitudinal 3.o1ned to the nieinlier C 4rearof the bridge pieees lil. The `lower part of the fui-ine isbraced thestugge floor `D which joins the uprir'llls ii'zihove the lower endsthere-oit und extends 'liorifzird oi" @hostage 'front to yeccomi!iodutea iloouliglit iorm E. `"llhe beek of the freine may be covered with Cardboard orihe `like l" printed or painted to represeutlhe berk The freutol' Jhe 4freine may be `covered with Gerd board or flielke. G, but thesume should simulate the `arelntecllrre of u theatre st geliy paintingor otherwise displaying columns or the lilal designs on the ilrout ofthe eurd board. The Center of from; perd hoard should be Vut ouf.; roleave en unobstriuied view `to `the Stege. Inorder to give a. propereppeai'unee to `the sug'egitis proposed to* use :il-leest two l 1 .1.

Curtains o Luid. (3, euch of which being` olt uleugilgh und Width toCover `the ope into the siege, :igndthe samedi-(. prei5 ibly Wound uponsepa-rute spindles f3 nud i.

`The spindle o 'For the uirtuius is preferir.-

hl)T slufiported with 'reeddin o rolziion holnveeu bel-Wo 'frontuliriiiljits A. slos being eut in the uprlghts to provide bearingsliorthe spindlev 5 indftl'ie spindle 'for Jche curtain 6 is preferablysupportedfwith `freedom of rotatin between Vthe horizontal bridge piecesBslots being also out thesey pieeestoprovide bearings for the spindles6.` V

ffluitiible Wings i', also runde `oi gard homd or the like may beemployed on each side ot thestage opening the same, cut and paintedl orotherwise made to appear as columns or draperies.

Each of the curtains u'iay be pulled down or up by separate pull cordsWound upon the spool ends 5 and 6 off the spindles.

To make up the different settings the baci; ground oii the stage may bechanged at will by means ot suitably painted or printed drops 8. Anynumber ot such drops nial be onfhand to correspond to different e3.:-

hib'itio'ns to be given by the mariene-ttes and the `same may 'beconveniently suspended from the horizontal bridge pieces li by leavingan over bang' or extension 9 at opiiosite sides oif'their top edgi'e asbest shown in if`igures 2 and fl.

.as previously stated each ot-the marionette sets will include a. unitcoi'nplete in itseliz and the units may be y used singly or in groups,for instance, for the purpose oit illustration, I have shown twoditl'erentmarionettes or puppets each being capable ot producing(li'fi'erent exhibitions when properly vcord 11 maybe used to raise thearm and thus produce the desired animated effect.

` As heretofore practiced in devices ot this kind the puppet-man usuallyactuated the y pull cords from in back oi the stage but this positiondoes not appear as real as is desired.

which the cords may be actuated beneath the I therefore have devisedmeans by stage which removes the cords-trom view. To accomplish ,thisthe stage floor is` provided with small openings 12 at places Where themarionette sets are to be positioned and with the bases of the sets alsoprovided with an openingso thatthe control or pull cords may be passedunder the stage Where they be actuated. i

Figure e I have shown a rather elab' orate form ot marionette set, yet,considering the exhibition itis capable oit displaying,

vitis comparatively simple. In this termi-he marionette or puppet 13 isproduced to represent an acrobator tight rope Vwalker and the unit setof which it forms a part includes a. supporting base 13', the same beingof a length of substantially that of the width of the stage. At each endof the base is arranged anv upright 132 which forms a sup- 'port Alorthe guide wire 133 and the tight rope 13, the former acting as a guidefor the marionette 13 and the latter representing the -Wire on which themarionette Wallis. 14 represents a platform which is supposed torepresent the stand :trom which the tight rope walker ascends the rope.l

The pull or control cord 15 in this set eX- tends through openings inthe uprights and .is fixed to the marionetteso that ka pull on either otits endsiwhich extend through the openings `iu the base' and stage.floor to beneath the stage will cause the marionette to travel acrossthe stage With the appearance as if it were walking the wire 134.l i

In exhibiting this term ot marionette, a very dark drop 8 is used toprovide ablaci;` baci( ground which Will hide the wire.' 133 and thelpull cord 15 these tivo being blaclr themselves. The wire 134 as Wellas the coloring ot the marionette should Vot course be either white oratleast some light color so they will stand out against the bach ground.

l.)ractically. the same principle would apply it it were desirable tosimulate an illusion, such ifor instance as practiced bym'agicians insupporting objects in space.

The pull cords or control cords may each have a threading needleon'their vfree ends `so that `the cords may be threaded through theopenings inthe bases and the openings in thestage floor.

t is to be understood that vthe torni of my invention herewith shown anddescribed, is to be taken as a preierred'example of the same, and thatvarious changes in the shape,

size and arrangement of parts be resorty edto without departing from thespirit of the invention, or the scopeot the subjoined claims.

I-Iaving thus described claim zy 1p. Anv amusement ydevice comprising incombination a stage, and a marionette set, a suljiporting base for themarionette set having an opening therein the stage'iioor having anopening therein adjacent which the marionette set may bepositionedforexhibiting purposes adapted to register With the opening inthesupporting base'othe marionette set, anda controlcord for the myinvention, I

marionette extending through said `openings, whereby the marionette maybe attached by said cord the stage.

2. An amusement devicecomprising in combination a stage and a marionetteset, the marionette set` including a base, parallel Wires supportedabove said base, one above the other, the highervvire suspending themarionette with the same free to y slide thereon, the lower Wireappearing as a `support for the marionette and a pull cord for movingthe marionette along the higher Wire. y

3. An amusementvdevice comprising in from the under side of combinationa stage and a marionette set, the marionette set including a base,parallel wires supported above said base one above the other, the higherwire suspending the marionette with the same free to slide thereon, thelower Wire appearing as a support for the marionette and a pull cord tormoving the higher wire and a back ground tor the stage behind themarionette set adapted to obliterate the higher wire and the pull cordbut bringing out the appearance of the marionette and the lower Wire.

4. An amusement device comprising in tombination a stage and amarionette set, the marionette set including a base, parallel wiressupported above said base one above the other, the higher wiresuspending the marionette with the same tree to slide thereon, the lower'Wire appearing as a support for the marionette, the stage iioor havingan opening therein adjacent which the marionette set may be positioned,a pull cord for moving the higher Wire and extending through the openingin the stage floor whereby the marionette may be actuated from below thestage floor.

5. An amusement device comprising in combination a stage and amarionette set, the marionette set including a base, parallel wiressupported above said base, one above the other, the higher wiresuspending the marionette with the same free to slide thereon, the lowerwire appearing as a support for the marionette, the stage Hoor having anopening therein adjacent which the marionette set may be positioned, apull cord for moving the higher wire and extending through the openingin the stage Hoor whereby the marionette may be actuated from below thestage Hoor and a back ground for the stage behind the marionette setadapted to obliterate the higher wire and the pullcord but bringing outthe appearance of marionette and the lower wire.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature. t

FORREST L. BRISSEY.

